It’s getting to that point in the spring when trade talks begin to heat up. But from what I understand, there isn’t anything happening with Aaron Rowand.

Less than nothing, actually. When Texas contacted the Giants to gauge interest in Michael Young a few weeks ago, the Rangers told them in no uncertain terms: “Don’t even bother bringing up Rowand’s name.”

I know Giants fans are conjuring a million fantasy proposals for dealing Rowand – to-the-Phillies-for-Joe Blanton being the most popular framework for a deal. But my sense is that the Giants are becoming more and more convinced that they’ll have Rowand on the roster to begin the season.

In that instance, either Nate Schierholtz or Travis Ishikawa will be off the team – or, in a less likely scenario, both, if Brandon Belt makes the roster. (As a reminder, both Ishi and Nate are out of minor league options.)

The Rowand situation could change with a phone call. But if the choice comes down to Nate vs. Ishi, the indication I’m getting from a few sources is that Schierholtz could be the easiest and most likely to be dealt. Perhaps soon.

—
Rowand remains as professional as one could be under the circumstances. He has maintained an almost monk-like silence with the media, perhaps in an effort to avoid worldly temptation to say the wrong thing. He refuses to utter anything negative or complain, either on the record or off it. He doesn’t have to be happy with his situation, but it’s clear to me that he sees nothing honorable or productive in airing his grievances.

His resistance to playing anywhere but center field has been well documented, but aside from that, he’s going about his business, taking the same amount of swings in the cage and sequestering himself with his nose in his iPad.

The other Giants players in the clubhouse know another shoe is going to drop, though. What will the club do with Rowand? It’s a pretty hot topic within the room. It might be the biggest unresolved issue the Giants face this spring.

—
I wrote today’s notebook lede about Miguel Tejada hitting eighth, which was a pretty startling move from Bruce Bochy.

Tejada didn’t get an at-bat in today’s rain-shortened game, but Bochy said he wants to see how the lineup looks with this configuration. The team doesn’t have a No.8 hitter and Bochy said Tejada could be a fit in that spot because he covers the plate well. He also still runs well enough to sacrifice with the pitcher.

Left unsaid: Tejada is hitting .227 with just one extra-base hit to go along with 10 singles. And he’s known to roll a few double-play grounders That is not the kind of hitter you want in the middle of the lineup.

I’ve mentioned in the past that Tejada had a career-low slugging percentage last year, and that was a big, fat red flag. Although Tejada opened the spring as Bochy’s No.5 hitter, I think all parties are coming to the realization that the 36-year-old might no longer hit for enough extra-base pop to justify being in an RBI slot.

Defensively, Tejada has not moved particularly well this spring, either. But I might have been too rough on him in a few Twitter comments today. After the game, I talked to him about the ground ball single that he fielded but fell while trying to pivot and throw. He said his cleat slipped, and yes, it was a slog fest out there.

I also criticized Tejada on Twitter for failing to cut off an Andres Torres throw from center field, allowing Dexter Fowler to pretty much walk home after hitting a triple. But Freddy Sanchez said the ball skipped on the wet grass and Tejada wasn’t really at fault. Sanchez is the trailer on that play and should have backed it up to prevent Fowler from scoring, but he looked back toward the infield because he wasn’t sure if Fowler had a chance at an inside-the-parker. He didn’t know whether to yell “4-4-4!” or “3-3-3” to Tejada. By the time Sanchez turned his head back toward the outfield, the ball already had gotten past him. A weird play all around, but not really a true sign of eroding skills from the veteran shortstop.

Anyway, in the notes, I mention that Tejada hasn’t hit eighth since 2001 with the A’s. He has only batted eighth in front of the pitcher in three starts in his career – all interleague games with the A’s, none more recent than a July, 2000 game at AT&T Park.

“It will be an adjustment,” he said. “I’ll have to be more selective. But I think like this: wherever the manager puts me, the pitcher won’t throw it down the middle. They know what kind of hitter I am.”

—
The official news on Brian Wilson was encouraging today, but the reality is this: One more hiccup, even a minor one beginning with light catch on Wednesday, and he’ll be out of the running for opening day.

I wrote the main story on Wilson and Jeremy Affeldt’s experience dealing with oblique injuries. (Affeldt has sustained tears on both sides.) Also, Affeldt has some thoughts on what he might do to his “stinger” if he’s asked to fill in for Wilson for awhile.

–
Very funny moment involving Andres Torres today. He dug in the right-handed hitter’s batting box, took a pitch, then realized he was wearing his left-handed hitting helmet. The flap was on the wrong side.

So he walked back to the dugout, calmly exchanged his helmet, and continued the at-bat.

“I didn’t notice until somebody (yelled), `Wrong helmet,” Torres said. “They started laughing. What can I do? I laughed too.”

Torres, who has ADHD, remembered a time with Triple-A Toledo when the first base coach missed the game and the manager asked him to fill in.

“I went to coach with the other team hitting,” he said, glumly shaking his head. “No good.”

He got fined $25 for that mistake. I’m guessing the big league fine is a little steeper. But maybe Torres will have a few sympathizers over the helmet flap flap.

“That’s something I would do,” said equally hyper Freddy Sanchez, from the next locker down. “Good thing I’m not a switch hitter.”

—
I asked Tim Lincecum and he said the ESPN.com story about him is true: He really does order three double-doubles, two fries and a shake – and powers it down in one sitting.

“Did it yesterday,” he said. “Then I take a long, long nap.”

Kind of like those lions on the Discovery Channel after they devour 40 pounds of antelope meat.

But Lincecum doesn’t go for Animal Style.

“Just bun, meat and cheese,” he said. “I don’t weigh down with all that extra stuff.”

Sure. Cut out that unhealthy lettuce and tomato.

“If I want lettuce, I’ll just drink water,” he said. And if I want tomato, I’ll just …”

“Use ketchup?” I suggested.

“Yeah,” he said, smiling.

—
Because today’s game (called in the middle of the third inning) wasn’t official, the stats didn’t count. Also, fans are entitled to exchange their tickets for another game. Here’s the official policy.

The good news: Even he can exchange his ticket, provided he still has the stub. And I don’t want to know where he might’ve kept it.

—
If you only read one story that I link to this spring, make it this one.

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This is his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants, and the newly published Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay. Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.

107 Comments

Not that Nate Schierholtz is an all star, but with his arm and good defense he is still younger and more valuable than Rowand. I really would hate to see Nate moved just because of Rowand’s contract. And what is Rowand want to complain about anyway? He should be keeping his trap shut with the numbers he is not putting up. He knows that he sucks and now he is just watching better players get shipped out because he makes too much money and nobody wants him.

Baggs, I don’t get it that Rohand gets a pat on the back for not complaining. He’s got nothing to complain about. Zilch. He played himself out of playing time last year, and again this spring, then semi-sulked when Bochy put him in LF for a game. His performance has been beyond suckage. I have nothing against the dude as a person, he just is a waste of player space. If he were being paid half the salary he’s getting, he’d get cut in a heartbeat. The Mets just cut Castillo and Perez for a salary that totals over $18M in annual payroll this year. Why not here? It stinks if the Giants keep his sorry tuckus on the 25 man just because of the contract and cut lose Nate or Ishi, because either provides more value than does he. If Sabes actually traded him for beer nuts or just DFA’d him, the front office would get props from the fan base for a ballsy move. To keep him around while cutting more valuable players or trading them for pine tar is just plain dumb. His money is spent, regardless. He’ll be gone anyway by midseason at the latest after several months of misery, boos, and double plays…

Aaron Rowand does not deserve to be on the roster at this point because he clearly is not one of the GIANTS best 25 players. I too am sick of hearing of what a clas ct he is when he is being paid that amount of money. I am just hoping for a healthy and happy year for the team and all of us fans as well! GO GIANTS!!!!

I agree with consensus opinion on Rowand. They just need to dump him. No team is going to give Sabean anything for him; they know the score. He probably won’t get much for Nate or Ish either because the other GM’s seem to sense when Sabean is desperate, so they refuse to give an inch. If they dump Rowand now, they can get better return on Ish and Nate later in the season.

Rowand doesn’t want to play any other position because he is afraid that will mean his career is on the decline, so I’m actually surprised to see that he seems to know the score.

My only reservation with cutting him loose is him going to Philly and playing on our dime, and possibly playing well in that bandbox. Not to mention he is exactly what they need, a RHP OF. Giving the competition a player to fill a hole is almost worse than keeping him yourself.

It would be a shame to lose either Nate or Ishi and keep Rowand! The money should NOT be an issue when your defending a World Championship and putting the BEST available lineup on the field. Sabean and the Giants brain-trust will do the right thing and Rowand will be gone next week!

And thanks for the link to the “Lemonade Man” Baggs! On our trips to Scottsdale over the years we always looked forward to hearing him with his trademark sales pitch! And I even ordered lemonade from him.. which is a FIRST for me at a ballgame!!

I also would hate to see a player like Schierholtz, who can help the team in various small but important ways, or Ishikawa, who has developed into a very nice left handed pinch hitter, be shipped out just because of Rowand’s contract and almost complete lack of trade value.

Rowand probably has a few little good streaks left in him, but that type of player won’t help much off the bench.

The one argument that makes sense for keeping Rowand is that he’s the only experienced center fielder in the case of Torres getting hurt, and since injuries have always been an issue with Andres that would be the ONLY reason to keep Rowand around.

If Torres does go down for a couple of weeks or more I’m not sure Ross or Schierholtz are the answer. They could call up Darren Ford if they had to, but he’s as green as Lincecum’s stash box and center field is an important & difficult defensive position, especially at our park, and while Rowand may not be a top player there anymore he can play the position.

That being said, I think that’s a pretty shaky reason to keep him over more valuable daily utility/role players like Nate & Travis.

As for Tejada, we’ll see how that plays out since IMO we have to give him a chance, at least through the first month or two, but at this early point he sure looks like another Sabean Special. And NO ONE is near to take that spot if he just dumps.

Our starting SS is a much bigger problem than Rowand IMO, and if they’re going to trade anyone they should be looking for a shortstop.

If they can get a serviceable one who can play every day and hit his weight than trading one or both Travis & Nate (and more) would be too bad, but this team needs defense and right now they don’t have even a decent defensive SS on their roster.

Adding one behind Tejada who could actually take over the position if needed is just good insurance, and also might push Tejada a bit harder, because…

If they keep Rowand and cut Nate, a decent portion of the World Series vibes are gonna leave my brain via steam. Not saying Nate is all that (people keep insisting he is fast when he really takes a while to get going – See SBs), but to hang onto “Ro” while he is playing so poorly just because of his contract is sick. Other teams realize that the Giants may opt to trade Nate, so why even consider Rowand?

I am also beginning to tire of Tejada already, especially when Theriot was available. Many doubted Theriot could still perform at SS, but compared to Tejada? He also would have brought speed. Sigh.

All things considered, the problems are not many. It’s a good thing, too. The few we have are being handled rather poorly.

Yeah. Ross can play CF. Ford is twice as fast as Rowand. I would rather have Darren Ford taking ABs than Aaron Rowand. Ford might actually chop one into the hole and leg it out.

Rowand will strike out unless the pitcher is dumb enough not to throw the ball in the dirt.

The Giants won the world series last year because they started making decisions in the best interests of the team than of the payroll or “vet egos” (benching Rowand, benching Zito, dumping Benjie).

Rowand can’t hit in ANY park. The only rationale to keep him is if you believe he will come back to bite the Giants.

He won’t. He is an awful baseball player. Are you really worried about Rowand playing for the Phillies facing Lincecum in October? If Rowand plays regularly for the Phillies, then the Phillies are done. DONE.

Dump him Sabean. He is terrible and has now become a liability in the clubhouse.

I’d rather keep Nate than Ishi. I have a lot more faith in those that can play 1B for us than the OF. I think our OF is loaded with wildcards that could have terrific or not-so-terrific seasons. That being said, I’d rather have Nate and Ishi than Rowand. Between he and Zito’s contracts, we could have the same team that won the world series last year for $30M cheaper, unbelievable.

That’s just it, Chris. With Nate out of options, any trade will be made with no leverage at all because other clubs know the Giants want to avoid cutting Rowand, meaning they will take whatever they can get for Nate.

Would be a very very poor decision on the Giants to trade Nate only so that they don’t eat up Rowands contract. Rowand will not be on the team no matter what for 2013, so why lose nate now? Plus Burell prob wont be back for 2012 or derosa.

If you look at it from a business standpoint, it only makes sense to keep Rowand and trade Nate. It kills me but it’s the truth. If you trade Nate, you will get something pretty good in return, probably a young guy that has options for the future. The team still has an adequate 4th-5th outfielder who can also step into center if Torres has issues.
If they cut Rowand, not only are they out the $24 mill/ they get no young player in return and they are very marginally better as Nate will hit for a higher average but Rowand has more power. If you recall Rowand didn’t do a terrible job as a bat off the bench at the end of last year.
Just my thoughts from an ownership view, although they must consider how unpopular the move would be. The Giants fans always need a whipping boy. If it isn’t Rowand it will be Tejada.

And for those who wonder who will be the back up center fielder if Toress gets hurt? Well Cody Ross has played center many times in his career and Nate is a gold glove in right, so center won’t be that drastic of a change. Both are better then Rowand in center now anyways

Hearing “grandma’s lemonade” chant during the radio broadcasts was a great sign of spring, and now that I’m temporarily relocated to Phoenix, I’ve been surprised to see him at so many venues. Classier act – him or Rowand?

Neither Uribe nor rent had a lot of range at SS last year. Leave Tejada alone…it’s freaking March still, and this guy is just trying to get ready for a full season. He can go out every day and make the routine plays for you, which is all Sf really needs. After having spent time in SD, ATT is an easier park to hit in, esp for RH pull hitters.
Sf has plenty of depth in the OF, esp if Belt makes it out of ST. You aren’t getting much for an OF like Nate, with under .700 OPS who neither gets on base much nor has much power. I think Sf biggest issue is whether the regulars (Huff FS Ross Posey Torres Burrell) can do what they did last year, and if Panda can rebound at the plate. If that happens and pitching remains strong, Tejada is an afterthought.

I don’t feel the apology is necessary about the twitter comments Baggs. I thoroughly enjoy reading the Giants blog “PaapFly” as it is one of the best written blogs by a non-journalist, but the artice Rory Paap blogged in his latest entry was way to harsh on you, and it made me lose a lot of respect for him. Its one thing to say he didn’t agree with your assesment, but he paints Tejada out to be the steroid-induced run producer of the early 2000s, but hte fact is he is not htat kind of hitter anymore. If you are reading this Rory, one of your fans found this to be very dis-tasteful.

Cutting Rowand to keep Nate or Ishi would be a marginal good move, but the Giants will not do it. Cutting Tejada would be insane. Spring stats are 100% meaningless. He projects to be around the same as Fontenot or DeRosa on offense, though with far more upside potential, and he is the only true shortstop (certainly better than the other two at that position), though below average defensively. Of course, the Giants will not cut him either.
All the decisions the Giants have remaining (left field starter, seventh reliever, last two non-pitchers) probably don’t add up to one win more or less, except possibly whether to start the season with Belt.

Let me start off with Rowand. Who gives a damn how Rowand is feeling? He PUT HIMSELF in this situation by, not just not living up to the ridiculous contract, but failing just to be a serviceable player. He has shown no adjustment or improvement at the plate and he is just another one of those douchebags that cashed in on a contract year. I have no sympathy for Rowand, i dont care if hes acting like a professional. He can act like a professional on his couch at home and let Nate Schierholtz remain in San Francisco

Now let me get on Tejada
“It will be an adjustment,” he said. “I’ll have to be more selective. But I think like this: wherever the manager puts me, the pitcher won’t throw it down the middle. They know what kind of hitter I am.”
Key phrase from that sentence, they know what kind of hitter I am.

Ok tejada, you mean the hitter you were when you were on steroids? Or the hitter you were when you were 30+ but claimed to be 25 or some bull? Your a fake and a cheat and its a disgrace to see you wear the Giants orange and black. Out of all possible short stops, Sabean HAD TO SIGN TEJADA? Its going to be a long season of watching this useless tool. At least Edgar could bunt once in a while. Mark my words, Tejada will not help this team win, and come august, we will have someone not named Tejada playing SS for the Giants if they want to come anywhere close to repeating. Tejada can single handedly cost us a playoff appearance because unlike Sandoval, tejada is a vet and we know it takes Bochy longer to sit a vet than a kid. If Sandoval was a 5+ year vet last year, no way does Bochy take him out of the lineup down the stretch/playoffs he woulve stuck with him.

And to continue on with my rant. Lincecum, seriously, needs to improve his diet and hygene. Otherwise he’s going to be out of the game. You don’t need to be obese to play yourself out of the game, all this will eventually come back to him and hurt him in the long run. Or are we going to have another August fiasco and then try and fix it then? Got lucky last year by fixing it for the stretch, who knows what happens next time. Look at guys like Doc halladay, hes a guy thats going to be around for another 10 years because he takes his job seriously. I seriously dont think Timmy takes this game seriously enough. I still love him but i’m just looking out for him. Hes 26/27 all this unhealthy diet( he never cooks his own food hes always getting take out; therefore doesnt know all the nutrients in his food.) that he eats is eventually going to haunt him.

If we had to sign a pitcher to an extension and could only afford Cain or Lincecum, i’m taking Cain 8 out of 10 times.

Give Tejada a break. This is spring training! Tejada is a 10-year proven vet and he dearly wants to win a World Title and knows he can do it in S.F. in ’11. Tejada can still hit .270 with some decent power & RBIs and field the SS position. The man will perform as he has last year and before. Rowand – not so much. If I had to pick 2 roster spots out of 4 I go with Nate & Ishi, cut Rowand, and put Belt in AAA for the first month and reassess the situation come May 1.

If they trade Schierholtz to keep Rowand…I would be VERY disappointed. If the team was discussing buying out Zito, they surely have the extra $$$ laying around to let Rowand go. Schierholtz is a gold-glove caliber outfielder that is still young and there’s still a possibility his hitting can catch up to his outfielding.

BDub says:
March 21st, 2011 at 11:11 pm
Eat Rowand’s contract now, drop Ishi when Belt arrives. Vast improvement.
Better yet, have Lincecum eat it. As for Ishikawa, I’d offer him to the Orioles for their backup SS, Cesar Izturis. The best defensive 1B in the NL for the best defensive SS in the AL.

It is gonna be awesome when Rowand and Zito are both off the books in a couple years. (ROWAND IN 2 & ZITO IN 3 if is option is not picked up) But that money is not gonna be used to sign some young stud free agents because it will be used to pay all of our own young studs whose salaries will be sky high by then. Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Sandoval, Posey, Wilson, Bumgarner, Romo, Belt, etc. Plus by that time a few of the “kids” from the minors will have hopefully panned out & will be starting or contributing. Neal, Stoeffel, Crawford, Peguero, Noonan, Ford, Gillaspie, Wheeler, Culberson, Kieshnick, etc, The past gave us a World Series title, the present is bright & the future has a chance to be a dynasty in the making. IT IS TRULY GREAT TO BE A GIANTS FAN!!

I think that a Jose reyes trade would surely help the g men. I think that miguel tejada best days are past him. I think that a Michael young trade makes sense ad he gives the giants another 20 home run guy. Then you can still put aubrey huff in left field and put Michael young at 3rd base. And move the panda to 1st base.

Folks I agree letting Rowand go sounds like the right thing to do and I would do it in a heartbeat believe you me but in the end it’s not our money and as fans we forget it is business to the owners and investors as well. That being said drop the bum. Gamer or not he’s gotta go.

@ shocker said: Here’s an idea — let Tejada go and keep Ishi and Nate. From what has been written, DeRosa and Fontenot can hold down the fort at shortstop.
Response: Do you really think that will happen?

@Willie D and Woj are both right. Leave Miguel alone. He will be fine. Posters are acting like he is vintage Dave Roberts or EdgardoAlfonzo

@ NatesMom – You’re right about the WS warm and fuzzies regarding Rowand being on the team

@ rowandtejadablow – way to post something that only includes you’re-
not-gonna-happen thoughts…YOU are commenting on Bagg’s Post where-by players are commenting openly and honestly about their feelings?!? You take their thoughts and go all RipJob? Running a MLB club requires diligence and tenacity. Sabean and his entire front office/ownership staff have a working template and several others labeled B-C and D.

Your comment about Lincecum’s hygiene > What the heck? Is it the hair because the rest of him is squeaky clean…except for his well documented substance arrest.

Sabean and company have a plan and hate to say it – it hasn’t been made available to us fans. It may be as simple as Belt starting in Fresno and ….Mota not making the pitching staff as well as either Ishi or Rowand. That would put 25 bodies into 25 uniforms.

@ Lance Newberry, good post your the only one who is being realistic and has the b!##s to post the obvious. Crawford and Ford are nowhere ready an actually questionable if they will ever be starters in the major league level. Crawford has pop, but striking out at roughly a %25 clip in minors does not bode well. And Ford, no matter how many bases he can steal, may just be another speedster with no bat.

@Keep’n in Real – you need to get real, while I like what Nate can bring off the bench, wishing his bat will catch up to his hitting may never come, he is not that young anymore and looks to have too many holes to be a starter. Good hitters like Posey, Belt, Panda hit from the beginning, not someday in their late 20s.

Face it, we are stuck with Rowand. I also agree that if something were to happen to Torres, at least we have a guy who has played everyday. No way we can trust Ford in this role.

The lack of options at SS on the team and in the minors is disturbing. A lot of role players and plug in guys, but I think moving forward to next year will need to be addressed.

@YogiBarrister – like the Izturis plug, I’ve watched him and he is a terrific defensive SS. Let’s see how the orioles start their season and what needs they have. Perhaps one of our relief arms in the minors? interesting to see how much Derek Lee has in the tank for them. Talking about the Orioles, nice to see J.J. Hardy land somewhere, always thought he would be a great fit for the Giants, tall lanky SS with power.

No team wants Rowand, it does not matter about his salary because he sucks, he was fine in Phili because playing their was a hitter’s ball park. Another bad Sabean move and also Belt looks for real and I bet no way Huff is going to play well to the over paid Sabean contract, that is what Sabean is known for over paying players who are at the tail end of their career.

Lemonade lemonade like grandma made. That guy is classic. Thx for the link Baggs.
Also quick question for you or anyone who cares to respond.
Who is going to play CF when Torres gets a day off?
I’ve seen Ross out there a few times. I can’t recall Nate ever playing CF. Can he? If we release Rowand, who will cover?

So much drama and negativity! Have we really sunk to a new low and started bashing players for their nutrtition? No wonder players are hesitant to talk to the press….2 time Cy Young Award winner gets trashed for eating double doubles at IN&OUT? (it sounds like my mom growing up…..I eventually learned all on my own to eat my veggies and so will Timmy).

I remember last year mid season the radio shows were flooded w/ people criticizing for the lack of power hitters on the roster and bascially
crying about the washed up players we got? Seemed to work out ok.

Rowand is doing what he needs to do right now, zip it, work hard and keep your head down. (Unfortunately, it’s not the norm in MLB to have a high paid player not whining about something. Refreshing.) Maybe he’ll surprise us all. That’s a big paycheck to eat and unfortunately (or fortunately, depends on how you look at it), baseball is a business. However, if he doesn’t improve, I predict he starts to get more vocal as he gets more frustrated and could become a clubhouse problem…which would be a bummer and have Sabean reflecting on why he didn’t cut him loose.

Maybe we should all follow Timmy’s lead….eat some burgers, take a nap, wake up and go to the ballpark and just enjoy the highs and lows of baseball. What a ride it’s been so far!

I understand the contract of Rowand is Too steep too eat.. I know that Ishi and Schierholtz are out of options. I guess having an extra guy like rowand if Torres get hurt etc.. Off the Bench maybe?A lot of money for a bench guy but It worked late last year and he had some pretty big at bats. But, I think Ishi is the odd man out great pinch hitter defensive replacement but with the possibility of Belt coming up later in the season the need for a two backup 1B is null. We have a crowded outfield but honestly Schierholtz is the one outfielder i want out there with the 1 run lead game on the line . He is our best defensive outfielder speed ,range and arm.. He needs to stay put.

Predictions:
Belt goes to Fresno. Mota left off roster. Wilson does not go on DL. Ishikawa either: Traded-Released-Clears waivers. Rowand makes 25 man roster for now. Nate is here to stay for good. DeRosa’s tendinitis subsides – becomes supersub ala Uribe but better OBA than Juan who was last on team in that category.
Giants have more 3 run leads this year going to the 9th = Wilson – not needed every time out.

What makes anyone think the Giants won’t dump Rowand? There are still 9 days till opening day. Do you think Sabean is going to tip his hand now? If someone would give him 3 used jockstraps, I guarantee he’d trade him and swallow a majority of the contract. Hey, the Mets are broke and they just ate $18 million. The Giants have money. Nothing says they won’t eat $24 million. Let’s wait and see.

Till I actually see it, I refuse to believe the Giants will get rid of Nate because of Rowand’s contract. That would be a shame if it happened.

Does it really matter if they cut Ish now or 2 months from now? Once Belt is here to stay, Ish is no longer needed. I’ll miss the Ish. He did some good things.

I can’t believe people are throwing Tejada overboard already. It’s March 22nd! My God, at least give him till May 15th before you start whining.

Do Sabean and Bochy get no slack for doing something that hasn’t been done since Leo Durocher?

If Rowand can’t play a corner, he’s worthless. Don’t even get me started on Tejada. Got last year in the back pocket so don’t have many worries this year. I’ll ride if for a while and see what happens.

Nice goin Baggs coming up with that “use ketsup” gag right on the spot. That was a beaut! Yo, Timmy does know how a guy should eat. No messing around with chlorophyl and fiber dude. He does us proud and gives lie to the slander that SF fans are a bunch of Chardonnay sipping, Camembert sniffing snobs. I mean, “animal style: is too civilized for this hurler! Tim knows when to eat, when to nap and when to hurl. Weaker men would hurl right after downing half that lunch. Totally in and out. Must be kind of painful for Sandoval to read about Tim’s menu though.

@ efrain oliva – Not sure who quit and made you the Giants GM… but contrary to your expert opinion, not all hitters start from the beginning *and* not all “start from the beginning” hitters can maintain that level.

Posey was a good example, but he is a rare player. Belt hasn’t hit in the big leagues during the regular season, so he isn’t really a good example at this point. Panda? Love the guy, but after 2 years of hitting from the beginning…he became a .260 hitter. The jury is still out, whether he can be the .300+ guy.

I’m not comparing Nate with any of the guys above, but it is realistic for a player to mature at the plate in his late 20’s. Nate has only 2 full years in the big leagues *and* he was hurt last year. BTW…Cody Ross…our starting RF…is 4 years older and he didn’t hit from the beginning either.

So…the next time you get into “I’m going to be critical about what everyone writes” mode *or* you are on a personal call with Sabes….slow down and try to understand the opinions of others.

I hate to see the Giants lose Schierholtz…His upside potential is greater than both Burrell’s and Rowand’s by the mere fact that he is considerably younger, and he plays superb defense. Burrell’s defense is marginal at best and Schierholtz’s defense can run circles around Burrell in the outfield. Burrell is on the down side of a checkered career and if he has a poor beginning of the year at the plate, it won’t take long for the Giants to faze him out. It would be nice to have Schierholtz waiting as DeRosa is still an unknown. I know there is speculation that Huff will move to left once Belt becomes the regular first baseman but who knows when that will happen and the 20 million that they paid Huff could be problematic due to his age as well…..Rowand just needs to be cut free. The Giants need to swallow their pride admit it was a bum contract and move on…I know this is hard to do, but after all they won the ’10 Series without him and his huge contract…I think the Giants will be losing a good one if they lose Schierholtz.

I think “Shocker” and ” PNWGiantsfan” (#3 & 6 entries) have the right idea…dump Rowand and Tejada…Isn’t Crawford the SS of the future?…I know his bat isn’t there yet, but his defense is solid. And they can work on his offense with him in the minor league and let Fontenot and DeRosa cover in the meantime. Beside, Fontenot is more agile than Tejada and it appears that DeRosa is too. Both of them seem to have a better bat than Tejada anyway…The Giants have to put the best roster on the field and Tejada and Rowand don’t cut it.

The idea is to have the best possible team and if Rowand is on the final 25 man roster that is not the GIANTS best possible team and that will be hard to stomach. The GIANTS can easily repeat as World Series Champions and they can just as easily be a horrible disaster if a few people get banged up or don’t match last year’s performance so not fielding the best roster possible is not a wise thing.

As one or two have said, Ishi is as good as gone, whether it’s now or mid-June when Belt comes up. If you can’t dump Rowand on somebody or trade Nate for a 2011 usable piece (neither seem likely), then drop Ishi now. Then, you’ve got two months for Rowand to hit a hot streak like may of last year and ditch him to open up a spot for Belt.

BTW, while Tejada will be fine .270, 10hrs, and those ever so important “professional at bats” the backup spot is troublesome. Fontenot and derosa are not every day SS. If tejada gets hurt or turns into a pumpkin, the giants are in trouble.

Yeah, what about Lincecum’s hygene? And, btw, gaining 11 lbs in spring to 168 means he was 157 lb at the beginning. Don’t you think that’s a bit too light? If the news was that his weight was kept at sub 160, would you also think he didn’t take baseball seriously becuase he didn’t try to gain weight and will run out of exhaustion by all-star break? Why do you think he’d “stuff it down even when he’s full”? Well perhaps because he was ordered to gain some weight! Granted, it’s not the best form of calories, but heck, I’m sure a lot of guys do that and that’s not a reflection of one’s professional attitude. It amazes me that people choose to take in the kind of information they want, even if they’re presented all in the same article. What about the “worked harder” part? You claimed that you love him or whatever, but it sure sounds otherwise.

Why post things that are not going to happen? Unless you just want to see your words in print. The Giants may dump Rowand eventually but they are NOT going to DUMP Tejada. This is NOT fantasy baseball. This is a major league baseball team, one that just signed Tejada, and now according to you – they should dump him. But “Orville, you can relax, Nate is not going anywhere.
Mike Souza, you’re right, its not the best 25 with Rowand on the roster but the best we can hope for is – they trade/release him sooner than later. It STILL me happen like “LongSufferingFan” says.

I do think Bruce Bochy’s opinion matters though (compared to some on here that know more than he does) Bochy likes the Giants infield depth behind Tejada. Don’t discount Ron Wotus’s ability to recognize and clarify defeciancies with Fontenot and DeRosa as far as there footwork and range. He and they have been working all spring on the back fields with those two. The Giants have always had great assistant coaches for their infielders (Bob “Flea” Lillis and now Wotus)

Steverino: that was pretty funny…thanks!

Maybe when “efrain oliva” gets off stops twittering Tim Kawakami he will grace us with another “Sargento” type rant that all our comments suck and that he is the lord of baseball knowledg.

Some great posts on this blog tonight. Pretty much covered all the bases several times over. My basic point: Whether he deserves it or not Rowand is pretty much toast amongst the fan-base and could well be in the clubhouse as well. The centerfield only schtick leaves a bad taste. His Huggies batting stance connotes a bad smell. Perhaps he can recover in another venue, and if so, more power to him. Wish him well if that is the chosen course. Not at all worried if it’s the Fillies. If Utley is out for any amount of time and with Werth bye-bye and with no major upgrades to their bullpen, Braves will beat em by five games. That bunch i would worry about come October ~ lottsa good new kids coming online.

Give Tejada a shot, at least until the weather gets warm. He may well have one good season left in him. That is Sabean’s calculated risk. IMHO, the dude usually calculates quite well. Managers of the Year usually do. I’d move Ishi before Xing Nate. Though he is a good LH PH off the bench and an excellent D. 1B, he will more likely thrive elsewhere. Yogi’s suggested swap with Baltimore for IZturis has merit.

Timmy can afford to hire a fulltime nutritionist ~ particularly if adept at making green-butter brownies with plenty of golden raisins and walnuts in the mix. Pisstesters should be shot on sight as a matter of pure principle. Or isn’t this a free country anymore?

Your book was in my mailbox this afternoon Baggs, and after reading your forward by Kuipe, he reminded us that the 2010 World Series Champion Giants were truly a TEAM – I’m guessing by that statement that ego’s were eventually checked at the door.

Consequently, Rowand could use the reminder, and not hide from the press in his iPad. If I recall, we didn’t get monk-like silence from Zito last year during the playoffs, and look at his “burdon”, if-you-will…

I agree with Orville (77): it would be a sad move to lose Schierholtz.

The Giants need to start acting like WS Champs and make good baseball decisions instead of worrying about justifying bad contracts. Sabean continues to make poor decisions year after year and not releasing a non-productive player only compounds his lousy track record of signing and overpaying free agents. Wake up Giants fans, the only good baseball decisions Sabean has made are the FA that fell into his lap and his trade record is one of the worst. The Giants won the WS because the pitchers they drafted as a result of poor records have done well and you can attribute that to the scouting department. Sabean lucked into a WS champion so he should use his Goodwill and cut Rowand, then I’ll finally give him a little credit. FYI Sabean, Tejada is another bad sign.

The Giants every move turned to gold last year. This year…not so much. Tejada will be this years Bengie. But with only Crawford to replace him.
The bench without Nate will be great: not.
Old, slow, can’t hit.
Nate is a decent bench player. Ford at least has one skill.

While it is good to see so much interest in our Giants this year … I have to admit to not being so worried about it this year!! The desperation of NOT winning for all those years is … GONE!!! The glow from winning the World Championship less than 5 months ago is still SO STRONG … 52 years as a fan waiting for that 1st championship will do that! So I wish people on here would lighten up a bit and realize it IS only March now! I’d love to see them win it all for the next three years and I’ll be rooting like a madman again for just that … but the reality for me is that the Giants could finish in the cellar this year and I’d STILL have a glow in my heart and this silly grin on my face!!!

I wish Sabean would stop this nasty habit of overpaying for vets when there is a handful of truly talented young guys whose contracts will be coming up in the next couple of years. What will their agents ask for their clients, when you’ve already handed out contracts like 7 years for $120 million and 5 years for $60 million to mediocre players?

Luck factors into every experience (I think it was some kind of team sports where a coach said once, “I’d rather be lucky than good”)
Sabean’s maneuverings have never been met with anything but mediocre applause but if you were a Giant fan – you like many of us would have some residue of glow – like MAVO says above.

We can’t bring back the moves that Sabean made that you (WALL) don’t like so moving forward – they WILL move Rowand. He won’t be here the whole year. They did not give Renteria what he wanted, yet you don’t mention that. Burrell’s minimum signing ticked off the players union because he re-set the bar very low by their standards. Zito’s contract was not a Sabean signing (when will we understand that)

@ Keep’n It Real (whatever it is) – hahah good one, however no I’m not a wanna be GM. Just stating the obvious.

However, seems you have established yourself as being a pro scout!!!! I guess we will see but Shierholtz is more likely to go the way of John Bowker rather than a Jayson Worth. Another in the long line of Giants OF prospects with not enough tools to make it as an everyday player.

You don’t have to believe me, so do your scouting research online. There’s something called google. Unless in your mind you’re the only scout to listen to…………….

That’s a wide range. Jason Worth – actually in Google its Jason Werth… to John Bowker.

Schierholtz does not have to fit into either box. He’s already proved more than Bowker and has more versatility than Werth as Werth seldom has played CF. Right-handed hitter outfielders are not in demand but Nate not only should be a Giant for a long time – he seems to have trade value all of a sudden.

As far as stating the obvious, there is nothing obvious about major league baseball/spring training/health issues as Baggs has shown by his two more recent articles….

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